High-throughput identification of antibiotic resistance progenitors across interconnected settings: PRE-EMPT – PRE-EMPT

The worldwide emergence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria relies on both the ability of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) to spread antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and the capacity of successful clones to disseminate. Evidence for the environmental origin of AMR in human and veterinary clinics highlights the mandate for the surveillance of emerging AMR. The objective of the PRE-EMPT project is to identify, and quantify the reservoir of mobile ARGs in different environments, and characterize the potential of these genes to be transferred to pathogens by combining high-throughput based techniques connecting the genes, the MGEs, and the bacterial communities. We will target three environmental sites, from urban, animal and littoral contexts, combine metagenomic techniques with enrichment methods (targeted PCR, hybridization capture, Hi-C), characterize the functional properties of the identified ARGs, and evaluate the dissemination of these ARGs in bacterial communities